Swingletree.



L. E. BARNES.

SWINGLBTREB.

APPLICATION P11 311 NOV. 30. 1910.

Patented Ap1 .30, 1912.

cocunuu mu'oanuu 60.. wAsH maTbN n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

LAMBERT E. BARNES, OF GREENWOOD, MISSISSIPPI.

SWINGLETR-EE.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, LAMBERT E. BARNES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenwood, in the county of Lefiore and State of Mississippi, have invented new and useful Improvements in Swingletrees, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in vehicle swingletrees, and the object of the invention is to so form the ends of a swingletree as to allow for the ready insertion of a harness trace thereon.

Another object of the invention is to pro-- vide a device of this class which is preferably integrally formed with the tree and which is so arranged in relation to the said tree that the traces are securely retained thereon and accidental removal of the traces is entirely and effectively prevented.

With the above and other objects in View, which will appear as the nature of the invention progresses, the invention resides in the novel construction of swingletrees hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of one end of a swingletree constructed in accordance with the present invention showing the end of a trace attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the trace detached. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4 is a sectional view upon the line H of Fig. 3.

In the well known forms of swingletrees, the ends thereof are provided with some suitable securing devices, such as hooks, whereby the ends of a trace are connected thereto. In one instance, which is common to light vehicles, such as carriages, the proposed method of securing the ends of the trace to the swingletree comprises a pin which is inserted through the end of the swingletree, the said pin having a flexible attachment to the said swingletree. This form of attachment has been found unreliable for the reason that the rocking of the vehicle, when traveling over uneven surfaces, often causes the said pin to become disengaged and allows the trace to work free of the swingletree, thus rendering the occupants of the vehicle liable to accidents. Most of the other methods for connecting the trace to the swingletree are cumbersome and unreliable.

With my improvement it is the primary Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 30, 1910.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

Serial No. 594,878.

object to overcome the deficiencies above enumerated and at the same time construct an extremely simple, cheap and reliable device which is preferably formed integrally with the swingletree.

Referring to the accompanying drawing in detail, a swingletree is designated at 1 which .may be constructed of any suitable material, wood being preferable. As the opposite ends of the swingletree are identically formed, it is thought that a description and illustration of one of such ends will be sufficient to obtain a knowledge of the present invent-ion, and each end, as shown, includes what may be termed a rear face 2 and upper face 3, the rear face being inclined or beveled inwardly as at 4:. A shoulder 5 forms the terminal of the beveled portion 4- and projects at right angles thereto and outwardly therefrom and terminates in a flat wall 6 arranged in alinement with the rear face 2 of the swingletree, the latter wall being of a length corresponding to the similar dimension of an opening 7 formed in a trace 8. The end of the swingletree designated at 9 is of substantially V-shape in cross section, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and is of arcuate outline so that one of the end walls of the opening 7 in the trace 8 may be initially engaged with the shoulder 5, and swung about such shoulder as a pivot to bring the trace at right angles to the swingletree, the trace being. parallel with the swingletree in the initial application of the former to the latter. From this construction it will be seen that, owing to the opening in the trace and the wall 6 being of similar longitudinal dimensions, accidental displace ment of the trace from the swingletree, in the pulling of a draft animal, is prevented.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, is 1- The combination with a trace having a swingletree opening, of a swingletree, said swingletree having its rear faces beveled adjacent its ends, a shoulder forming the terminal of each of said beveled portions, a flat wall integral with the shoulder at right angles thereto, the ends of the swingletree beyond such beveled portions being rounded, said flat walls and rounded ends being of a length corresponding to the similar dimension of the swingletree opening in the trace,

and the said shoulder forming a pivot about which the trace may be swung in the application of the latter to the swingletree Whereby the trace may be arranged at right angles to the swingletree, said shoulder and end serving to prevent accidental displacement of the trace substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afi'lX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LAMBERT E. BARNES.

lVitnesses G. S. PATE, S. C. LINOW. 

